The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow
by Witchy Pirate
Summary: The horseman comes again for one girl exspecially in the valley of Sleepy Hollow. But one thing this deadman did not expect: her to fight back, and with the help of a stranger, Ichabod Crane! What rating? Confused!
1. Rescue

The valley was quiet, not even the nature in the trees made a sound, the wind that blew slightly, moved nothing. The only sound was Roran's feet on the dry, dead leaves, the entire forest was dead. Lightening stuck, making a blue flash ahead of her and her heart stopped beating for a few seconds.

Roran took a step back as the fog swirled around her, the lightening kept flashing, then she heard it, hoofbeats. They were running, she could hear them, but could not see where they came from. She had lost her own horse and had been wandering around the forest, and now, night had fallen.

Out of the fog, came a mounted figure, she turned and ran through the trees. It wasn't wise to leave the path, but a horse couldn't easily weave through the trees. Her cloak caught on a few branches as she ran, her heart pounding in her ears. Her long black hair got tangled on a branch that had hit her in the face, scratching her.

She pulled, but it remained tangled, then she heard the hoofbeats again, but this time a voice as well. A man stood beside her now, "It's alright," he told her grabbing the branch she was caught on and snapping it. "Come! Quickly!" the strange man told her forcefully.

Roran followed him, the beats coming closer. She turned and sae the headless figure riding towards them, sword drawn. Roran felt a hard tug on her arm and found herself being lifted onto the back of a horse. "Hold on!" the man yelled kicking the horse.

The horse bounded off so suddenly that she had almost lost her grip and fell off. She was able to catch a hold on his coat and pull herself closer to the stranger so that she didn't fall. Roran looked back as she wrapped her arms around the mans waist, the headless horseman was gaining on them!

"Faster!" she shouted but quickly quieted herself realizing that she had just shouted in his ear. "He's gaining on us!" she told him urgently. Just as she heard the sword being tossed about behind them, ready to take a swing at their necks, the trees vanished. They had reached the town! But the horseman still followed!

The man directed the horse towards the churchyard, once they arrived, he quickly jumped off pulling her with him and the horse ran off. "Come!" he shouted again to her pulling her arm towards the church. "Inside!"

Once inside, the man let go of her and shut the doors, looking out the window. "We're safe in here...for now." He then looked back to the girl and stopped in his tracks. He had just now gotten a look at her in the light, and she was quite beautiful.

"Are you sure?" she asked moving passed him and looking out the window herself. Sure enough, the horseman could not cross the gates. Satisfied, she turned back to him, she could say for herself that he was rather good looking. "Thank you." she whispred looking him over.

"You're very welcome," he gave a shadow of a smile. "I am...Ichabod Crane." he informed her swallowing hard.

"Roran Tranlessa," she nodded. "I am very glad to have met you Mr. Crane. If there is anyway that I could repay you..."

"Please, just call me Ichabod," he answered, "There is no need of repaying."

Roran smiled, "But I have to give you something, it is the law. A small token of my gratitude." she told him kissing his cheek.

Ichabod blushed a little and opened his mouth to say something, but was distracted. A man came from around the corner of the church. "You have lead the horseman here!" he exclaimed.

"You have brought death upon us this night!" the man continued, stepping in front of the window. Just then, something crashed through the window, blood of the man slattered on the floor, and he was dragged through the window.

Roran shut her eyes letting loose a small scream as she turned away. She covered her head with her hands, and heard a loud thump beside her. Reluctantly, she looked over and saw that Ichabod lay on the floor.

"Ichabod!" she screamed dropping beside him, only to find that he had fainted at the sight of the blood. He had a few drops of it on his face. Roran ripped a peice of cloth from her shirt and dabbed it on his face. "Ichabod...wake up...don't leave me here..." she said in a weak voice.

The sound of hoofbeats reached her ears again and she cringed looking out the window. It was close to dawn, and the horseman was riding back into the forest. She sighed in releif turning back to Ichabod and kissing his now clean forehead. "You saved me..."

Ichabod stirred, it took him a moment to realize what had happened, and looking around, felt slightly embarressed. Roram smiled down at him. He had been moved to a bed in her own house. "Glad to have you back, Mr. Ichabod Crane." She wiped a damp cloth over his brow again.

Now in full realization, he asked her. "What happened, with the horseman?" he tried to sit up, but Roram kept him down.

"Rest a little, I'll tell you the story." she sighed. "The horseman is after me. He will not rest...usually I can get through the forest before he comes, but I lost my horse...and later my way. I felt that I was close to him, and knew that if I was able to find the tree, that I could find my way back to the town. But I was too late in finding it...he came for me."

"Why is he after you?" Ichabod stirred. "Why you?"

Roran looked down and let him sit up a little more. "I don't know," she lied. She knew exactly why the horseman was after her. 


	2. Just a Prank?

Roran left him to get some rest. She went down the stairs and into the small kitchen where she proceeded to make him something to eat. Just as she was about to place the tray of food onto the table, she heard a door close from upstairs.

She looked up at the railing and saw that Ichabod was looking over the rail down at her as well. "Good morning..." she smiled and went back to setting the table. "Come on down."

Ichabod held onto the rail as he walked down the steps of the stairs and into the next room. "Thank you," he told her softly as he walked up beside her.

"Oh, it's the least I can do, Mr. Crane," she smiled and handed him a plate, motioning for him to sit down. "Best be quick, the children will be in any moment now." Roran sat down next to him and slid the food over to him. "I hope you don't mind anyhting that I have cooked. I mean, there isn't much of a variety in a small town like Sleepy Hollow."

"No..." Ichabod looked down at the table, "It looks...great..." He scanned the table again, it didn't look like food at all, but he was very hungry, he felt as if he hadn't eaten in days! "Umm...how long have I been here?" he asked curiously.

"Only about a day, you must be hungry." she smiled over at him. Her smile made Ichabod a bit uneasy, expecially because she wasn't eating anything, just waiting for him to take the first bite. "Go on, it'll all be gone if you don't."

"What...what children were you speaking of when you said that they'd be here any moment?" he asked putting a few spoon fulls of the 'food' on his plate.

"Oh, a few of the kids around town will come down at get a few things to eat." she shrugged with another smile as she followed his action and started on her own plate. "We still have a few minutes, I wager."

Ichabod hesitantly took a bite of the food she had given him and swallowed. Honestly, it wasn't that bad! Roran smiled, snuffling a laugh as he took a bite of it.

"I'm not meaning to kill you, Mr. Crane," she shook her head. "I make use of what food Sleepy Hollow does have."

"It's very good," he relied wiping his mouth with a napkin. "And please, Ichabod, I'm not much accustom to Mr. Crane."

Roran smiled in reply, "Sorry...Ichabod." She stood up and began to dish out the food on other plates and spread them out. Suddenlt, there was a knock at the door. Roran hastily walked over and grabbed the handle but didn't open the door.

"Oh, Ichabod..." she smiled to him, "I advise that you bring your plate over this way."

Ichabod looked at her strangely but did as she said and walked over towards the stairs again. When he was standing besdie her, she opened the door and stepped ot of the way. A few people rushed in and swarmed around the table, but did not take anything.

"Help yourselves," Roran nodded and the group began to dig into everything, like a herd of starving wolves. Ichabod was greatful that he was no longer in the middle of it. "The children..." Roran shrugged.

Ichabod looked at her for a moment before he laid his plate down at the sink. Roran watched him as he walked across the house and back again.

"Would you want to take a look around the town...I heard you were here on business...and might need some help finding your way around?" she asked. Sleepy Hollow was a small town, and it would be very hard to get lost in it.

"Sure, I would like that." he told her anyway. "Then, perhaps you can tell me all that you know about these killings that I have been sent to investigate."

"It's all the horseman's work," she told him.

"The horseman...isn't real...a prank...last night was...a prank."

Roran looked at him, "How can you still believe that? You were right there with me!" she told him. "It's not a prank!"

"Roran..." he smiled and shook his head placing a hand on her shoulder. "If you really believe that...prove me wrong then. Let's go for that walk."

As Ichabod walked out of the house, she watched him go. "Fine...I will." she muttered and followed him, glancing over to the forest. 


	3. Take Me

"Ichabod! Wait!" Roran yelled, gathering up her skirts and running after him. "Wait for me...I'll come with you." she told him softer as she caught up beside him.

"Sorry," he smiled over to her. "Oh, have you heard of the Tree of the Dead? I was told that that is where the horse man comes from and it is somewhere in the Western Forest?"

"Yes, I'm familiar with it, we weren't all that far from it last night." Roran answered back to him.

"Oh," he answered back. "And he does come from the midst of said tree?"

"The tree is the portal unto Hell...so...yes." she answered back with a nod.

"I see..." was all he said in reply.

As he walked, Roran watched him with fanination. No one else had even bothered to look into the killings at Sleepy Hollow, why him? Why now? Why did she seem so drawn to him?

Ichabod had a feeling of slight unease and looked over his shoulders to see that the girl was watching him. "Yes?" he asked curiously.

Roran shrugged and looked away walking a little farther away from him. Her footsteps echoed on the wood of the bridge as she walked over it, stopping in the middle and looking back to him. "Coming?"

"Where?" he asked not stepping on the bridge until she waved him over to her.

"You said you wanted to see the Tree of the Dead...I'll take you there..." she looked down between the boards of the bridge to the same creek beneath them. She leaned against the railing of the bridge that formed a sort of wall and roof over them. The first sighting of hers of the Horseman.

"You would take me to the Tree of the Dead...when the Horseman is after you...you go closer to him?"

"I thought you didn't believe in the stories, Ichabod." she smiled.

"I..." he looked at her, "I don't...I just thought that if he was after you...you would be so careless to be in the forest everyday..."

Roran glared at him, "I'm not careless! I am merely..." she sighed not finding anything to say. "Do you want to go or not?"

"We won't be killed?"

"The Horseman is only free at night...not the morning...if we are able to get back earlier than we were last night...then no...we won't be killed."

"If you believe such things..." he sighed, "Yes...take me to the cursed Tree." 


	4. Journey

Roran opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a gun shot in the distance followed by a scream. "Murder! The Horseman has killed again!"

Ichabod looked over at Roran, "You just told me that he only kills at night!"

"He does!" she answered. "The body must have just now been found or something..."

"Well come on then, let's see what we can figure out." he told her leading the horse, Gunpowder out of the stables. Roran followed leading a black horse behind him.

Ichabod looked at her horse, "Isn't that the same kind of horse that the Horseman rides?" he asked.

"Possiblely, but it's not Dead." she told him mounting. "And he's not been used for prank either."

"I know the horse is not dead...clearly it is living," he mounted his own horse. "But are you sure?"

Roran laughed, "Yes, I'm sure," she rolled her eyes and kicked the horse to get it to trot. "And the Horseman's horses name is Dead. Although the horse itself may be dead as well...I'm not for sure..."

"Oh...yes," he replied. "Let's go see who has been killed."

"It's Johnathan," she answered absentmindedly.

Ichabod reined his horse and looked back at her, "What? How do you know who it is already?"

"Sleepy Hollow is a small town and you know when someone has gone missing...not to mention I saw him ride into the forest when you passed out." she shrugged.

He looked away, slightly embarrassed by his actions at the church. "I see..." he kicked the horse to move again. "So...how long have you been in Sleepy Hollow then?"

"Ever since I can remember...my mother brought me here when I was young...my father...rarely came home but love us to the core. One day...my mother never came back from the woods...she didn't believe the stories of the Horseman...my father...went to go find her...they found him later...dead...his head removed from his body..."

"I'm so sorry..." he answered. "I know the feeling...my mother...she passed when I was very young as well..." he nodded. "We have something in common."

"We have a lot in common...I'm sure..." she smiled to him. "And thanks, it means a lot that you can tell me that." she smiled. "I just get the feeling that not many people know a lot about Sir Ichabod Crane?" she raised an eyebrow towards him.

"Perhaps not..." he smirked. 


	5. Tree of the Dead

The forest closed around them like a thick, dark blanket, the fog choking them as they rode through the trees. Roran was in the lead on her own horse to show him the way, she glanced back to him and asked.

"How can you not beleive that the Horseman is not real...you've seen his murders...you've seen him..." she looked back again.

"I have good reason to think that he isn't for real." he told her.

"You are bewitched by reason..." she told him shaking her head.

"And beaten down by it!" he admitted a little harshly. "Why do you think he is?"

Roran looked back at him, "I've seen him...he's come after me...seeing is believing...and I've gotten close enough to feel him as real...and I'll prove it to you so that you are a bit more help!" she shot at him darkly.

As she kicked the horse, it bounded forwards and ran down the path between the trees, everything growing darker as she went. Ichabod followed her just as quickly, strangely drawn after her to see what she was going to show him.

Roran rode as fast as her horse could carry her, the horse turned the turns through the trees, almost as if sliding around them. She looked at the sky for a second...it was growing darker. Reining in the horse, she looked back behind her as Ichabod rode up next to her.

"Look...I'm sorry..." he trailed off as he looked to the place that Roran had been staring at. A dead tree stood alone, a sword sticking out of the dirt beside it. Branches bare and gothically drooping down. Roran looked at him again and he glanced back to her, transfixed by the tree.

"The Tree of the Dead," she told him. "Where as the Horseman returns as the sun comes up." she looked at him smartly. "Go ahead...take a closer look...seems as if we have a little time before he is sent out again." she shrugged.

Ichabod looked at her. "Just how little of a time?" Roran just smiled in reply as she edged her horse closer, but it refused to walk much closer to the tree. She slid off his back and stood beside Gunpowder patting his neck as she looked up to Ichabod.

"Right..." he answered back, sliding off Gunpowder and looking fixed at the tree again. "Best make our stay here quick then." he replied with a slightly shakey voice.

"For a man that doesn't beleive, you sure seem a little frightened." she played.

"For someone that beleives and is afraid, you sure seem calm." he answered back. Roran rolled her eyes and Ichabod hheard her murmur something like, "I'm not afraid." before stepping towards the tree.

He followed, looking at the bark, it seemed to glisten. He lifted a hand and ran it down the bark, pulling it back, he saw that he had blood on it. He looked to Roran who just shrugged, "It's always that way after a killing...therefore always like that."

"I see..." he went back towards his horse and pulled something out of the saddle bag. As he walked back towards her, Roran saw that he now carried an ax. As he looked at the tree Roran stepped back quickly.

"Ichabod..." she began but he swung the ax and left a gash in the tree. As he lifted it again, a goo ran out of the bark. "Ichabod...I wouldn't..." she began again but he chopped another peice out of the tree.

As Roran stepped farther back, Ichabod kept up with his work, the tree spitting blood at him, globs of it hitting him in the face. He saw out of the corner of his eye, Roran shake her head and step back again. He looked up her, throwing a brancj down.

"What is it?" he asked her but looked down as he felt something hit his boot. At the sight of what it was, he almost dropped his ax as he stepped back a little weezy. A dismembered head lay on the ground next to him. There was a faint rumble in the tree as more head rolled out.

Ichabod stepped back quickly until he was level with Roran. She looked at him and shook her head with a slight smirk. Her smirk vanished quickly as she looked to the tree again. Her eyes widen and she walked backwards and grabbed her horses reins.

Ichabod looked to the tree and saw the head of a black horse emerge out of the tree, followed by the rest of the horse and it's headless rider. He jumped back and grabbed the reins of his own horse and followed the movement of jumping on the back of it.

As he just sat there and stared at the Headless Horseman circle the tree and pull out his sword, Roran kicked her horse and ran into Ichabods to make it rum alongside her own. "Come on!" she yelled and looked back as the sound of hoofbeat met their ears. The horseman was gaining on them as they ran. 


End file.
